Chapter 506 - 500: A Scheme Within a Scheme
June Walsh saw the expensive red wine on the table, its cork already pulled. She picked up the bottle and poured two glasses. "Here, let’s have a drink first. Allow me to explain everything slowly."
They clinked glasses and downed the wine in one go. June Walsh began to speak. After they had been sitting and talking for a while, they both started to feel the temperature rising, their bodies growing hot.
"Are you feeling hot?" Keth Wood asked, taking off his shirt.
June Walsh’s face was flushed red. She nodded. "Yes, I feel really hot. Come on, let’s keep drinking."
They had another two glasses. In the end, they were so hot they felt like they were in an oven. Their minds grew hazy, and their brains could no longer control their bodies.
Their actions gradually went off the rails, spiraling out of control.
Around two or three in the morning, Holly Wood was jolted awake by the sound of her mother crying outside her room.
She slipped on her slippers, opened the door, and saw her parents sitting on the sofa while her younger brother knelt on the floor. "Mom, what’s wrong?"
Mrs. Wood wailed dramatically, "Holly, your brother’s life is ruined!"
Holly Wood stepped forward. "What exactly happened?"
Mrs. Wood stopped crying. "It’s that wretched girl, June Walsh! Her family gave Keth ten thousand yuan, claiming it was a loan for a grand opening, but they drugged his wine! He and June Walsh... they did something they shouldn’t have!"
As she spoke of this, Mrs. Wood started repeatedly hitting Keth Wood with the clothes hanger in her hand. "You stupid boy! No matter how poor we are, we can’t just take other people’s money! Don’t you know there’s no such thing as a free lunch?!"
Keth Wood trembled all over, crying and begging for forgiveness. "Mom, I was wrong! I don’t even like her! I don’t know how this happened... Mom, please forgive me."
Holly Wood’s expression instantly turned cold. She knew her brother better than anyone. He had been a good student since he was little, always in the top five of his class. He always kept his distance from girls. While some of his classmates were in relationships, he was never like that.
"Keth, stand up. I have some questions for you."
He glanced at Mrs. Wood’s face, then shakily stood up. It was clear he was terrified.
"Tell me the truth. Did you really... you know... with her?"
His face was pale as he nodded.
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life with her?"
Keth Wood shook his head firmly.
Holly Wood sat down and turned her head to ask, "Mom, how much money do we have?"
Mrs. Wood looked embarrassed. "Your father and I don’t earn much. We have to pay rent and cover our living expenses, which costs a lot. We don’t have much in savings. Why are you asking?"
Holly Wood said, "I think there must be a scheme behind what June Walsh did. Mom, we absolutely cannot let her succeed. I want to send Keth abroad."
Mrs. Wood’s eyes lit up, and she said frankly, "Okay! That wretched girl is vicious. Holly, you should discuss it with Leon. After all, there’s the passport and everything. He knows more than you do about which schools abroad are good."
"Okay, I’ll call and ask him in a bit. Keth, give me your phone."
He took his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. "When you go abroad, get a new SIM card. She plotted against you with malicious intent. You absolutely cannot contact her again."
Keth Wood’s face was grim. "I hate her guts now. Why would I ever contact her?"
Holly Wood returned to her room and sat on her bed. At that moment, she turned it over and over in her mind. ’This must be related to Maeve Sutton. If it weren’t for what happened last time, I wouldn’t have connected June Walsh with Maeve Sutton. But now, it would be strange if they weren’t connected.’
With this in mind, Holly Wood called Leon Lynch and told him everything in detail, leaving nothing out. After hearing about it, Leon Lynch said he would come over immediately.
Holly Wood changed her clothes, and a short while later, Leon Lynch arrived.
"Mom, Dad, Holly told me everything." Mrs. Wood nodded, her voice choked with emotion. "Leon, Keth is only fourteen or fifteen, and now... I’m afraid his studies will be ruined. That June Walsh definitely won’t let this go. She’ll probably bring her parents to cause a scene at daybreak."
Leon Lynch nodded and looked at Keth Wood.
"Let me ask you, are you willing to go abroad and study hard?"
He nodded, his voice weak. "I am."
"Good. I’ll send you there. Once you’re there, just focus on your studies and don’t think about anything else. I’ll make the arrangements now." After speaking, he called his secretary and told them to book two tickets to Grestin for the morning, then hung up.
"I have a house over in Grestin, and it’s not far from the school district. I’ll take you there, and you can live in it. Focus on your studies. Once you’re settled, I’ll find someone to clean and cook for you."
Keth Wood shook his head. "No need. I can do everything myself. I don’t need anyone to wait on me."
Mrs. Wood nodded. "Let him do it himself. It will help him become more independent."
"Alright then. I’ll arrange for a few people to protect you over there. It’s not like here—the public safety situation in foreign countries can be unstable. However, the Capital of Grestin is relatively safe and stable."
Mr. Wood took a drag from his cigarette. "It’s a good thing we have Leon. Otherwise, we’d have no choice but to wait for that family to show up and cause trouble."
Leon Lynch stood up. "Speaking of which, I need to make a trip to ’Lips in Motion’ and get the surveillance footage. That way, there will be no hard evidence. If they ask about the cameras outside, you all need to stick to the same story. Just say you went to see Ruby inside about something. I’ll take care of things on that end."
Mrs. Wood wiped her eyes. "Thank you for all your trouble, Leon."
"Mom, we’re family. Don’t say things that make us sound like strangers." He headed for the door.
Holly Wood saw him downstairs, then came back up to give Keth Wood a few more words of advice. Only then did the family’s anxieties gradually begin to subside.
The weather today wasn’t good, with intermittent rain and overcast skies.
Just as Leon Lynch and Keth Wood boarded the plane, Holly Wood was getting ready to leave with a pot of chicken soup her mother had stewed when there was a loud BANGING on the door.
Mrs. Wood and Mr. Wood exchanged a glance, then had Holly Wood open the door.
Sure enough, standing at the door were June Walsh’s parents, followed by June herself and her two older sisters with their husbands. Their whole family had turned out.
"Auntie, Uncle, you’re here? Please, come in." Holly Wood offered a slight smile.
Mrs. Walsh snorted coldly and led her family inside, sitting down opposite the Wood’s parents.
"Where is your Keth?" Mrs. Walsh’s voice was seething with anger.
"What do you want with my son? If it’s something small, you don’t need him—he’s at school. If it’s something big, you don’t need him either. I’m his mother, so you can talk to me." Mrs. Wood’s expression was indifferent.
Mrs. Walsh said sarcastically, "You’re exactly who I need to talk to. A mother who can’t raise her son properly. He’s so young and he’s already... done that to our June. Isn’t that a sign of poor upbringing?"
Mrs. Wood remained relatively calm. "It’s not your place to lecture me about upbringing. Besides, you need evidence to make accusations. My son is only fourteen or fifteen this year, and your daughter is already eighteen or nineteen. Heh. My son did... *that* to your June? If you’re going to joke, at least make it a good one. Not to mention your daughter is covered in pockmarks and looks so ugly—even if she were a goddess, my son is still a student. Why would he associate with your daughter? And even more so when she’s someone who tried to kill my daughter. Not a chance."
June Walsh’s older sister had a fiery temper and exploded on the spot after hearing Mrs. Wood’s words. "Keth’s mother! Who are you calling ugly? Huh? If you don’t drag Keth out here in front of us today, we’re not leaving! Also, this is rape! If we call the police, he’ll go to jail! You better think this through carefully!"
Holly Wood smiled. "June’s sister, if you want to call the police, go right ahead. We won’t stop you."
"Like mother, like daughter, I see. The whole family has the same shameless character!" Mr. Walsh stood up furiously. "Fine, call the police!"
And then they really did call the police.
The police took them all to the station for questioning. The three of them stuck to the same story, so nothing could be extracted from them. The police then went to retrieve the surveillance footage from ’Lips in Motion’, only to find that the previous night’s recordings were corrupted. According to Ruby, the owner of ’Lips in Motion’, she knew Keth Wood, and he had only gone there to see her.
In the end, the police ruled that the Walsh Family had deliberately caused a disturbance and detained all of them for fifteen days.
The Wood Family returned home without any further issues.
When Maeve Sutton learned of this outcome, she was furious enough to die.
’I spent sixty thousand yuan, and not only was it all for nothing, but it also ruined my plan.’ She had originally thought the Walsh family would go and cause a scene, forcing the Wood family to compromise and let the two get married. Then, she would use June Walsh to administer a slow-acting poison to Holly Wood every time she came home for a meal. A small dose each time would, over a long period, lead to a sudden death. This method wouldn’t arouse suspicion. Even if Leon Lynch found out about her previous two schemes, there was no evidence she was behind this one. And even if Holly died, the cause of death would be untraceable.
Who knew that for every foot the devil gains, the Tao grows ten? Her efforts were wasted once again!
Maeve Sutton was so angry she ground her teeth. ’My luck can’t be this bad! How do I end up failing every single time?!’
’I have to succeed just once!’
And so, an idea sparked in her mind, and she instantly came up with a new plan.
’Hopefully, June Walsh managed to get pregnant with Keth Wood’s child that night. I really hope she’s pregnant... ’
’But the chances are low. It all depends on whether fate is on my side.’
"Someone, prepare a flower basket for me. I’m going to the hospital to visit Mrs. Lynch."
**
"Saphira, you really know what you’re doing," Toby Dalton said gleefully as he came up from the dungeon.
Nora Ainsworth watched him without a change in expression. "Did that woman call Quentin Grant?"
Toby Dalton grunted in affirmation. "Yep. I was right there. She told Quentin Grant she was Faye Sinclair and demanded to speak with Nora Ainsworth. When ’Nora Ainsworth’ got on the phone, she was wailing and crying, demanding that Quentin Grant save her mother no matter what."
Nora Ainsworth sneered inwardly. She had to admit, Sierra’s impersonation of her was about eighty percent accurate, especially her voice.
"So, did Quentin Grant agree to come?"
"He’s so in love with his woman, how could he not come? Turns out he never told Nora Ainsworth about her mother. No wonder there was no movement from him. Quentin Grant is truly cunning, unwilling to take a risk for his mother-in-law."